


Moonlight

by rudbeckia



Series: Spookylux Huxloween 2018 [15]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-07-29 15:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16267337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: Huxloween day 15: Were-animalsBen’s hatred of certain domestic duties results in Hux getting bitten by some wild urban creature. But is his subsequent reaction caused by that, or is there another reason for his transformation? In either case, Ben’s keeping count.





	Moonlight

Warm, humid air filled the kitchen like a fine fog and condensed into droplets that slowly coalesced and rolled down the inside of the panes in streaming rivulets. Soft bubbling sounds came from a large pot on the stove and, when Hux opened the lid to stir the stew slowly around, the scent of thyme and rosemary diffused out to give comfort in the form of the promise of a full belly. Behind, Ben wrapped his arms around Hux’s waist and kissed his neck.  
“Mmm. Smells amazing. When will it be ready?”  
Hux scoffed. “As soon as you take the bins out like I asked you to an hour ago.”  
Ben laughed, leapt back and stripped, throwing his clothes through the kitchen door into the dining room beyond. He stood with a morose expression while Hux stared in disbelief. “I can’t babe,” Ben drawled. “Ain’t got no clothes.”  
“I can’t believe you just did that!” Hux said, eyes roving over Ben’s body, desperately trying to stay irritated. He gave up and giggled. “Well then. I’ll have to do it myself, I suppose. Stay _exactly_ as you are.”

Hux handed Ben the wooden spoon and set about pulling the plastic liner from the overfilled kitchen bin. He made a face as onion skin fluttered out and carrot tops tumbled after, but he saved his groan of disgust for the fat he’d trimmed from the meat now pot-roasting merrily a few feet away. He collected it all up, stuffed it back into the plastic bag and tied it off then let himself out the back door into the high-walled, concrete rectangle that served as their backyard. A streetlight, visible above the terrace roofs across the narrow, cobbled lane that separated their house from the next back-to-back street, glowed with an orange halo through the chilling mist. Shivering, Hux opened the back gate.

Something moved and growled from behind the bins, and Hux stood still, listening.

“Hearing things, am I?” he said to the waxing moon. There was no reply. Hux stepped out of his backyard and opened the bin that sat waiting for collection behind the gate. As he dropped the bag inside, there was a flash of teeth and fur and a streak of motion down the shadowed side of the street. He screamed and clutched his arm. Stumbling back into the small backyard, he saw Ben open the back door and dart out to meet him.  
“For fuck’s sake put some clothes on!” yelled Hux as Ben pulled him into his arms, carried him indoors and deposited him on the worktop beside the kitchen sink.  
“It’s not so bad,” Ben said, washing Hux’s forearm under running water. “Look, here?” He pointed. Hux did not look. “A couple of puncture marks. Whatever that was, it drew a little blood but it was probably more frightened than you were.”  
“I wasn’t frightened,” Hux insisted. “I was surprised.”  
“I should take you to hospital for rabies shots or something,” Ben said.  
“We don’t have rabies here. Last case was almost a hundred years ago.” Hux shrugged. “I’m fine. My tetanus is up to date.”  
Ben frowned. “If you say so. But I’ll tell Opan to call the doc for you tomorrow if it looks infected.” Hux agreed with a silent grimace. “Or,” Ben added with a grin, “if you turn into a werewolf. Did you see what bit you?”

Hux told Ben to go choose a movie while he served up dinner. Ben gathered up his discarded clothing and went to the living room. Hux paced the kitchen, rubbing his arm, frowning at the prickling feeling that started near the puncture wounds and spread up his arm and across his shoulders. He shook out his arms but the muscles felt all wrong: pulling tight on his joints and trying to twist his limbs. He hunched over, breathing out sharply with sudden cramp, pulling at his shirt and kicking off the slippers that no longer fit his changing form. With a wriggle of his hips, Hux’s sweatpants dropped to the floor and Hux crouched, eyes closed, panting until the pain subsided enough to let him focus. Eyes still tightly shut, Hux forced himself to breathe slowly though his nose. He could feel that his heart rate was higher than normal but he felt strangely comfortable with his knees bent and only his toes and fingers touching the floor. At the sound of a soft creak from the sofa in the living room, he brought his head up and looked toward the door, somehow able to make out flaws in the painted wooden panelling he usually missed. Hux tried to stand but fell back onto all fours. He cried out in shock at how ungainly it felt to try to stand and cried out again when he heard his own voice.

“Hux? Hey, you okay in there?” Ben’s voice and footsteps grew closer. “Sounds like you trapped a wildc—“  
Hux sat on a pile of his clothes in the middle of the kitchen floor. He stared. Ben stared back at green eyes set in a feline face of ginger and cream fur. Ben swallowed.  
“Um,” Ben said. Hux huffed and the sound came out of his mouth as a soft growl.  
“Not a were _wolf_ , then. Hux, can you understand me? First there was the costume party and now this. Nine times. Your grandmother said you can change nine times but on the ninth you can’t change back.”  
Hux growled and paced forwards. He pawed at the back door and looked back over his shoulder at Ben.  
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ben took a step backward as Hux yowled at him. “Okay!” Ben said, hands up in defeat. He reached for the door handle. “I guess you probably know what you’re doing. We need to talk about this. Please be safe.”  
Ben opened the back door and Hux shot out, leapt over the back wall and vanished into the moonlight.

**Author's Note:**

> The references are to part 8 (in which Hux’s grandmother is a cat sith) and part 13 (in which Hux dresses as a cat then turns into one) in case you have not read the rest.


End file.
